The Burr - Fall 2019 by The Burr Magazine

mom, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s called

predatory

tech

programmed to think and not to feel

dont even know if this is real

fall 2019

2 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

hello, new world. award-winning journalism I FEEL THAT | SPRING ‘19

thanks for picking up a copy of the burr

THEBURR.COM | 1

The Burr received five regional Mark of Excellence awards from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2019. Two submissions are competing at the national level.

About The Burr THE TECH UTOPIA WAS CANCELLED, DUMMY –

Trends. Every time I scroll through Twitter, I learn of new ones like saving the turtles, using reusable straws and more. These trends we see in the digital world and on social media are creating changes in our real, physical world, becoming one, new world.

ent perspectives on abortion and Planned Parenthood. This magazine isn’t just telling you what the trends you’re seeing in the digital world and through data are, but sharing how these are just stories on Twitter are real in our lives and at Kent State.

This issue of The Burr dives into some major trends seen through data and the digital world. Sara Crawford focuses on plastic and efforts to stop using so much of it. Amanda Levine explores how people are finding their careers through different, unexpected social media platforms. Sabrina Scott’s story features women in politics who are encouraging young people to use their voice and vote in elections. Tessa Poulain writes about sexual health and finding resources. Faith Ifft explores differ-

In this issue our staff tackles a lot of powerful stories talked about through data and the digital world and shows how these topics are impacting you. I hope The Burr creates a conversation about these trends and encourages you to think about these topics and how the digital and data world plays into your real world.

The Burr Magazine is the first student-produced magazine for Kent State University, the city of Kent and anyone looking for strong, journalistic storytelling. The Burr strives to provide its readers with interesting, humorous and hard-hitting stories that tap into current events, trends and the lives of those who have made a home in Kent.

Read online Find past issues of The Burr Magazine online at issuu.com/theburr Published with support of Kent State and the Kent Community. No part of The Burr Magazine may be reprinted or published without permission. © 2019 The Burr Magazine. 330-672-2572 | theburrmagazine@gmail.com

Taylor Robinson editor-in-chief

FA L L 2019 | 3

taylor robinson editor-in-chief

sarah riedlinger

art director

sophia adornetto

photo editor

nina palattella

copy desk chief

sara crawford

senior writer

elise jennings

assistant art director

tessa poulain

photo editor

kelsey paulus

copy editor & blogger

amanda levine

senior writer

elliot burr

designer & illustrator

anna lawrence

photographer

abigail bottar

copy editor

Makers 4 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

kaitlyn finchler

writer, blogger, & photographer

wesley koogle

sabrina scott

blogger & writer

mary wagner

designer

kamryn rowe

isabel brinegar

photographer

marisa santillo

natalia cruz

blogger

faith ifft

writer

katie blazek

illustrator

morgan mcgarth

photographer

maria mcginnis

promotions director & writer

special thanks to Brandon Lewis

Jacqueline Marino

Tami Bongiorni

norma young

Nicole Bienvenue

Kevin Dilley

Jim hurguy

mackenzie murphy

contributing writer contributing writer

faculty advisor director of student media

assistant director media specialist

business manager

lorie Bednar

office manager

sales manager

FA L L 2019 | 5

hello, new world meet your makers table of contents you are here

bits

bytes

10 Sco Pa Tu Manaa?

20 Social Media Influencers

12 Q&A: The Rainbow Squirrel Fest & Pride!

Social media influencers are entering the advertising world as brand ambassadors and earning money from posts, revealing positive and negative sides to social media.

How we find and apply for jobs is changing across social media platforms, including niche sites such as Twitch and Pinterest.

24 Let’s Talk About Sex

36 CBD Oil & You

End the stigma of being ashamed of talking about sex and find resources to get comfortable talking about your sexual health.

There are a lot of misconceptions about CBD Oil and its usage – find out how the chemical actually works and what it does.

28 A Walk-On Story

40 Just Kent Things

Not being recruited for college athletics doesn’t have to be the end for your dreams or days of playing athletics.

Inspired by Just Girly Things, discover what Kent things we all experience and love.

15 QUIZ: What’s your digital aura?

16 Q&A: Coach Lisa Strom

19 VeoRides: Everywhere Except Where You Actually Need Them

32 How Social Media is Changing the Way You Find Jobs

Contents table of

features Plastic Doesn’t Belong in the Water

Kent State and students make changes to help our environment.

Not Just A Body

by sabrina scott

48 by sara crawford

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Women in politics empower young people to vote and share their voice.

by sophia adornetto We are more than our bodies and our imperfections are what make us perfect.

by faith ifft

The A-Word

The topics of abortion, women’s healthcare and organizations like Planned Parenthood have always been considered taboo.

64 eSports: THE RISE OF COMPETITIVE GA MING IN KENT

by brandon lewis

Kent State’s eSports League of Legends coach and team find their place as an official Kent State organization.

state of the uni.

Beto Beto O’Rourke makes a campaign stop at Kent State. Touring the May 4 Vistors Center and speaking to students outside the Kent State Student Center, O’Rourke spoke on his plans for gun control, in response to the open-carry protest on-campus during his appearance, O’Rourke encouraged college students to vote in the upcoming elections before participating in a Q&A with those in attendance. Photo by Isabel Brinegar

Diacon

Kent State welcomed the 13th president Todd Diacon in July. Formerly the executive vice president and provost, he follows President Beverly Warren who announced her departure in 2018. President Todd Diacon created an Instagram to connect with students, served as the Homecoming parade Grand Marshal and has been seen at events across campus to engage with students and community. Photo by Isabel Brinegar

tryda & Foster The Kent State Field Hockey Team signed 10-year-old Alice Tryda to the team and the men’s basketball team signed 5-year-old Malyk Foster. Tydra was given her own personal locker in the locker room and jersey and cheers on the team, getting them pumped for games. While Foster doesn’t see play time, he still participates in practices, games, team dinners and events as an official team member. Team IMPACT is a non-profit connecting children with chronic or severe illnesses to college athletic programs. Photo courtesy of The Kent Stater

FA L L 2019 | 9

bits

( what are Sco pa tu manaa?

ur thoughts? ) Y

OU KNOW THAT TV TROPE WHERE

the hero dies so the rest of the characters resurrect him, but he comes back slightly wrong and unhinged and without morals? That’s what the internet feels like now.

Gone are the days of nostalgia where individual creators treated the internet as a worldwide whiteboard for sharing discoveries, personal thoughts and incomprehensible art; in it’s place is a well-oiled,

data-collecting machine. Are we in the age of corporate-controlled internet? Has Facebook become one giant advertising conglomerate? And has digital privacy become the biggest concern of the decade? Here at The Burr, we can’t answer these questions for sure – but we can ask our readers to share their opinions. We collected responses from students and community members around Kent State, and here are your thoughts.

Which online news source do you most rely on?

22%

Facebook 10 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

18%

Twitter

11%

Google News

The Washington Post

CNN

At what age did you get your first social media account?

32%

OF RESPONDANTS

60%

SUPPORT INSTAGRAM HIDING “LIKE” COUNTS

OF RESPONDANTS

DO NOT USE A PASSWORD MANAGER

FA L L 2019 | 11

12 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

The Rainbow Squirrel Fest PRIDE!

ﬂ words by taylor robinson ⁄ photos by isabel brinegar and sophia adornetto

A Q&A with PRIDE! President Jacob Dudley about the first ever on-campus Rainbow Squirrel Festival, giving students an opportunity to feel welcomed and free to express themselves.

œ PRIDE! Kent, an LGBTQ+ organization on campus, hosts Kent’s first gay pride festival: the

Rainbow Squirrel Festival on Oct. 3, 2019. Following the pride festival, Kent State’s LGBTQ+ Center holds their fourth annual Rainbow Run 5K on Oct. 4, 2019. A portion of the proceeds go to benefit the LGBTQ+ Emergency Fund to financially help students in the LGBTQ+ community.

TAYLOR ROBINSON (TR): What is some history on PRIDE! at and some events held in the past? JACOB DUDLEY (JD): PRIDE! Kent is actually the oldest LGBTQ student organization in the country. We were founded in 1971 as the gay liberation front. Ever since then the mission has been to promote and fight for inclusion and diversity on-campus. As well as supporting the LGBTQ community being here. Some events we have done in the past are that we do annual drag shows both amateur and professional. We usually do various holiday themed parties, I think at the end of October we will have our annual Halloween party we do every year. At least to my knowledge with almost 50 years of history, we’ve never done an event quite as big as this. This is probably by far the biggest event we’ve done. Hopefully it will continue to grow bigger in the future, because this is just the first one.

why I think it is important to do it this year is that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which was the first pride. So it is a really significant year and significant time for the community.

TR: Who has been helping plan the event? JD: We initially started out with the new PRIDE! Board, so just the five of us. We created a new committee on the board for planning the festival. Throughout the last few months it has consisted of both students, community members and alumni members. This is unique in that it isn’t just students. It’s primarily student led, but we have had help from people inside the university and from the community outside of Kent State to make sure everyone feels welcomed.

TR: What did the festival have for attendees? TR: How did the idea of the Rainbow Squirrel Festival come to be? JD: We had 50 tables with mostly information tables, but also a JD: The idea for this festival has been tossed around both in the city and the campus and within PRIDE! for the last 10 years or so. I know I first got the idea when our president last year discussed trying to put one on for this summer, but those initial plans fell through. When I became president last year, I decided to pick it back up and try to shoot for this fall. Another reason

few vendors selling things. Student organizations tabled, local community groups and resource centers. Other university departments as well tabled. There were a lot of opportunities to meet new people and get a lot of good information and find resources for people who might need access to those with the festival. We also had a DJ and free food for those who attended.

FA L L 2019 | 13

bits

“This was a chance to be a part of that community. “

TR: How has the university or community responded to the festival? JD: Overall the campus has been very supportive of this. It can be tricky, sometimes with just navigating things. However, I would just chalk that up to how the university works, not any initial stonewalling. In fact, most university officials that I have worked with are really excited to see this play out and see this is student led.

TR: What should people understand or know about the festival? JD: This is a place for students and people to come and express themselves freely. A chance to go somewhere and feel comfortable in who you are and expressing that in however you see fit. This was a chance to be a part of that community.

Taylor Robinson – trobin30@kent.edu

Dutch Light ﬂ poem by olivia swasey I have made a greenhouse of my life,

I awake in the night from dreams

cultivated many green things sheltered all

where I stand in muddy boots,

in glass, each plot painstakingly maintained.

two fists covered in blood,

I have sown many seeds, planted

on a pile of broken glass.

African violets in chicken shit, watched them bloom lovely and fragrant

I do not know from what corner of sky

under a vitreous sky. Hopes and dreams

will come the winds that will

poke olive-colored shoots up out of pots,

crush me like a witch under the weight

my future tied to stakes so it grows

of my own best-laid plans. But for now,

straight and strong toward the light.

I have placed lovingly around my heart a tomato cage, that it might have structure

Climate-controlled life, I watch my

to grab onto as it grows into something

temperature, my humidity; test the soil

that I hope will one day bear fruit.

for its acidity day after day. I have done all that I can to give myself space to grow, to repair, to become. Only now I worry about what storm might come and sweep it all away.

14 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

Read more On stands now! lunanegramag.com Luna Negra is a student-run Literary Arts Magazine on campus. For more, visit lunanegramag.com and look for its new issue on stands Spring 2019.

QUIZ-TIME:

What’s your

Digital

Aura?

Find out what kind of energy you’re radiating on the TL.

Do you have a Finsta?

What is your caption style?

■ None of your business ■ Nah, I’m emo on my main ■ Yes and it’s wild

■ Incoherent phrase / inside joke ■ Hashtags and emojis for days ■ Grammatically correct, heartfelt paragraph

How often do you post on social media?

Only one social network can survive. Which are you choosing?

■ Hardly ever, mostly lurk ■ Literally every day (#PhotoBlogger) ■ Once or twice a week

■ Snapchat ■ Twitter ■ Instagram

What is the main reason you decide to post?

Which social media influencer would you most like to slap in the face?

■ As a personal archive of things

or moments I want to remember

■ To counteract my FOMO ■ To share news or a big announcement

■ Jake Paul ■ DJ Khaled ■ James Charles

Blue – 2 pts Orange – 4 pts Green – 6 pts 0–16

the neighborhood cryptic Um, did you even attend the Area 51 raid?? You are totally that person blowing up our timelines with memes, dumbass comments, and just general strangeness that honestly makes the internet the amazing place it is. Never change.

17–23

chrissy teigen, is that you? You are perhaps the OG aspirational human. Both the lows and highs of your day make it to your social media, and you are genuinely honest about your feelings and thoughts online.

24–36

a contemporary scholar You only put your best foot forward on social media, and we respect that. Amongst the tomfoolery on Facebook, there’s you, sharing genuine news stories and interesting commentary.

Count up how many points you score with our color-coded answers, and add them up for your result. FA L L 2019 | 15

bits

Coach Lisa Strom:

building the women’s golf team (a Q&A)

2 illustrations by sarah riedlinger ﬂ words by amanda levine

ISA STROM WAS RECENTLY HIRED AS

the new head women’s golf coach. Coach Strom brings years of experience after playing golf for The Ohio State University (OSU): being an assistant coach at OSU, playing on the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour and being a head coach at Texas State. She looks ahead at the technology in the golf world, coaching experience and what she’s looking forward to about Kent State.

AMANDA LEVINE (AL): You played golf at Ohio State, so you came in with some coaching experience as well as some playing experience at a division one level. What did that teach you for being a head coach?

LISA STROM (LS): I mean, I think first and foremost I learned a lot from not only my coach in college (Therese Hession), but then I got to coach alongside her at Ohio State. So just, you know, the idea of that is always looking to get a little bit better and teaching yourself new ways of doing things. It’s a great opportunity to keep learning just in the field of college athletics cause (if) you’re not getting a little bit better every day, then you’re probably losing grounds. So I think that’s kinda the biggest part is always pushing yourself to

16 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

learn, learn new things and learn new ways to do it.

AL: When you say new things, what are some new things that you’ve learned since your professional career and then coaching at Texas State, what are some new things that you’ve learned along the way? LS: Yeah, I would say a huge part of it is the technology side of things and being up on that with TrackMan and SAM PuttLab and AimPoint, and just kind of having that wide variety of tools in your toolbox that you can share. And not everything works for every player, but when you’ve got a big amount of things that you can turn to kind of more likely to be able to connect with something there.

more. You can really pinpoint where they need to improve or maybe a quick adjustment with the driver heads now that they can be popped off and twisted and turned back on and reconnected. You can kind of do a ton of stuff where you still have to wait, I would even call it weeks at a time, might get a driver in the mail and when I was in school, they weren’t adjustable. And now that the shafts and heads are all adjustable, you can really make some huge improvements in a matter about 20, 30 minutes. So dialing someone into the appropriate spin numbers that you’re looking for.

AL: Do you feel with the new technology that it reaches all student athletes that regardless of the sport, do you think that everyone’s using it now?

AL: How do you use the technology to help better train the student-athletes?

LS: A big part of it is just the instant feedback that it gives you… A lot of people think they’re doing one thing, but then the technology will kind of give you feedback that it might be different. So you know, for someone that maybe is working on a driver or maybe it’s a new driver that they’re testing out, really just get ball spin numbers, ball speed, club head speed, and really pinpoint without guessing any-

LS: I would say technology is probably a huge thing in a lot of different areas. I know our men’s and women’s basketball coaches have some cool shooting things that they can set up for their student athletes now. And it tracks the shots they make. I mean it’s just, it’s probably the way things are going in the last 15 to 20 years. And if you can measure it, I’m a big proponent if you can measure it then measure it, don’t guess.

AL: Kind of going back to your coaching experience while you were an assistant coach at Ohio State, you were working under the Hallof-Famer Hession. How did that prepare you for Texas State? What did she teach you along the way? LS: I mean, first and foremost, just hard work. That’s a big part of being successful in coaching and helping others get better at life. Treating the student athletes goes far beyond just the golf course and their scores that they’re putting up on a scoreboard. So it just becomes more about that student athlete experience in the time that we get to spend with them is very short. It’s four years, but it really is impactful in setting up for later in life. So she was pretty instrumental in helping me grow as that type of coach and figuring out different ways to connect with student athletes and not every kid wants that, you know, hard, tough coach, some need kind of the more caring environment. So just really tapping into what works for the individual instead of kind of one size fits all. And you know, when it really comes down to it, and I attribute this to her, when all you’re really doing is trying to help people get better, it’s amazing what can happen. AL: You’ve talked about a little bit about training student athletes and some of them are more at the professional level, what’s it like to see your student athletes go on and compete at a professional level? And working with individuals at Kent State who are going, but there are some strong athletes that are going to go on to professional levels as well.

LS: … I think you take a lot of pride in the fact that you’ve been able to help them along their

journey and put them in a position to go chase their dreams as a professional golfer. Just today (Sept. 24) I had one of our former student athletes from Ohio State, Jessica Porvansik, she’s from this area and she gets to come out and spend some time with us and she hit some balls and you know, it’s just neat to be around her again. But there’s, you know, you develop that strong connection so when you see people go chase the dreams and have some success doing it, I’m just happy for ‘em. You’re happy that we’ve put them in a position to be able to go do that.

AL: Coming in here as a new coach, you worked alongside your assistant coach at Texas State, so what’s it like to have someone that you’re familiar with here working together with a new program? LS: It’s been just seamless as far as she and I being able to run practice and she knows kind of where I like things and how I like things to be handled, I like things to be set up. She knows when I need to take a break from maybe being a little bit too tough on the girls; she can keep me in check pretty easily. It’s a good balance there. Not having to kind of train someone. Obviously we’re both learning a lot of the business office side of things together, but she knows and she’s very capable and just the knowledge that she has from playing on tour, between the two of us having played on the LPGA, there just aren’t that many college coaching duos like that. I think there [are] maybe five that have played at the highest level, and now we’re coaching together. I think we bring kind of that added element of we know what it’s like to go play where these kids have dreams of playing. And sometimes it’s just a matter of them taking advantage of it too and

sometimes they want to navigate it on their own. But we’re there to support them and help them and we say, we know what it takes. It’s more about putting them in position to like, ‘Hey, this is going to help you in the long run, even though it’s really hard today to do this. It’s gonna make you better.’

AL: Going off that a little bit you talked about how you and Jenny both competed at the professional level. What was it like personally to compete at the LPGA tour and how does that help you prepare your athletes for it?

LS: It’s the best of the best. And sometimes when you’re out there experiencing it, you don’t realize how good you are. I think sometimes until you’re done playing, when people come up to me and say, ‘Wow, you got a great career,’ it’s like, wow, I really did. In the midst of it, you might not recognize it. And so, you know, being in the top 1% of golfers, maybe even higher than that if you break it down. But knowing that I wasn’t a highly recruited player out of high school and Therese gave me a chance and I worked really hard, like if I could do it and I’m kind of one of those kids with mediocre talent. A lot of kids that want to do it, if they really put their mind to it and put the work in, knowing that they can be successful is a huge part of it. And I would say the same thing for Jenny. I mean, she didn’t start playing until she was like in ninth grade. In high school they decided to start a high school golf team and she just tried out. They just thought, her and her basketball buddies decided let’s go out for golf, you know, and picking it up in ninth grade, to go all the way to the LPGA having earned the scholarship at UNC- Greensboro for her.

FA L L 2019 | 17

bits

AL: With the experience of competing at the highest level, at the professional level, and then also you led Texas State to two team championships and Kent State has won every MAC title since the creation of the program. What’s it like to come into such a strong program like this, work with this group of student athletes? What are you looking forward to?

LS: It’s putting them in a position where they can succeed… you don’t wanna make them worse. I say that where I’ve had to learn maybe to shut my mouth a little bit more, practice, let them do a little bit more. … [T]hey’ve earned my trust even in the first month being here, just being able to practice with a purpose. You set up some games and drills during practice and they get through them, or maybe it takes them a little bit longer, but I’m learning that they know how to practice and just trying to develop that rapport now of, ‘Hey, you know, we’re here to make you better.’ We’re not here to do anything but that, we’re your biggest cheerleaders and just gaining that trust and being around and communicating and earning their trust is a huge part of our success right now on the season. I think it’s probably the number-one thing that we’re focused on with them as far as anything with the team is concerned. I mean, do we know the golf swing? Yes. Do we know how to set up practice? Yes. Do we know how to make it challenging? Yes. But really, at the end of the day, it’s about connecting with them and making sure they know we’re on their side 100%. AL: Stormo and Panthong are both international student athletes. How has having upperclassmen international athletes helped with the transition the freshman who are just coming in this year? LS: I think with our Thai freshmen, it helps a ton to have a couple of upperclassmen that are Thai as well. Pim definitely looks out for them. But again, I think they all look out for each other, which is what you need in a team environment. As much as it’s an individual sport, a team’s success does depend on how close we can be and how much we can kind of rely on and lean on each other at times. I think just that [the] transition of being away from home and maybe the homesickness part, they’ve been through it, so they can kind of talk on those points with them and help them get through some of the tougher times. But they’ve just done a great job. I don’t think anybody’s been super homesick this season. And I think at a lot of it has to do with, you’re just so busy as a student athlete, you’re running from class to practice, or the gym in the morning to class. By the time you catch up with your family, you know, at the end of the day, or maybe in the middle of the afternoon when you’re done with practice, you’re trying to get ready to go to bed. So it’s just, there’s just not a lot of downtime to kind of get maybe stuck. We do provide them a lot of support with that. Having a team meal every once in awhile helps to kind of ease that. And it’s I think they do a great job though, taking care of each other.

Amanda Levine – alevine3@kent.edu 18 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

E comic by elliot burr FA L L 2019 | 19

bytes

ﬂ words by kaitlyn finchler · collab with sarah limas ⁄ photos by sophia adornetto

>>>>

Social media influencers

breaching the advertising world

OCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS HAVE BEEN TAKING OVER THE internet for years now and have shown that influencing is a real and lucrative job, but how does it all really work?

According to a YouTube video by content creator Jaci Marie, a typical day in the life of an influencer consists of scheduling collaborations with brands, planning, filming, shooting sponsored posts and editing content. Influencers are content creators such as bloggers, YouTubers or people with a strong social media presence who use their platforms to reach people through advertising.

Natalie Zacek is a senior communications major at Southeastern University whose social media following on Instagram began growing very effortlessly. Zacek says her follower count began increasing when Instagram’s “explore” page changed and started showing popular posts. “Once my pictures started going on [Instagram], I was getting a lot of followers and people asking where I bought my clothes and then companies started reaching out to me,” Zacek says.

While Zacek agrees that sponsored content keeps up her folFreshman McKenzie Morgan is a social media influencer lowing, she tries to not let them overpower her original studying fashion merchandising and journalism at Kent State. Instagram posts. Morgan has been blogging for almost four years and has worked with brands such as Glik’s, Discount Glasses, Express “I started so naturally so I always want to keep it that way,” and Yogalicious. Zacek says. “This is my life, these are my friends, and I’m actually having fun as opposed to going out to shoot content. Morgan discovered her passion for blogging as a freshman in I try to balance the sponsored posts and things that I really high school while struggling to find a career path. love because I want to be genuine.” “I wanted to find a way to combine my love for photography, clothes, makeup and writing,” Morgan says. Social media has created entirely new marketing opportunities for brands to influence and push trends onto consumers through influencers. Brand spending on influencer marketing is expected to hit $101 billion by 2020, according to a study from the Association of National Advertisers and PQ Media.

20 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

According to the Digital Media Institute, endorsement plays an important role in helping a company achieve their goals and a good reputation. The marketing strategies from companies play a big role in how successful their sales are. Brand ambassadors also play a big role in the advertising industry, as their main role is to increase sales and awareness for a company.

>ADEFHJ

œ Marisa Santillo, freshman communication studies major According to ReferralRock.com, there is a difference between an influencer and ambassador. “Influencer relationships are typically shortterm, but ambassador relationships are long-term. Influencers only promote your brand once or twice, while ambassadors promote your brand repeatedly.” While Morgan would mainly be categorized as a social media influencer, her work with companies such as University Edge Apartments, located in Kent, falls under the “brand ambassador” category. Morgan says that University Edge paid her to post a photo of herself in front of the apartments as part of a brand ambassador program. “I especially like brand ambassadors,” advertising professor Evan Bailey says. “I think if you look at a marketing funnel of trying to capture leads to more engaged consumers… Brand ambassadors can especially fit into that area where they’re the biggest fans of a product and they help others remain excited or get excited about those [products].” According to Zacek, the partnerships that she has result half from brands reaching out to her and the other half from her reaching out to brands she loves. “I always like to get an email from a company describing what the company is and what kind of partnership they are thinking about.”

“I will direct message companies that I love to ask for an email to contact them,” Zacek says. “Then I follow up with an email that describes who I am with a link to my Instagram to see if they would be open to a collaboration.” Zacek says that the terms of each partnership varies depending on the company. She has formed great relationships with smaller companies who give her a lot of freedom with her posts, but other larger companies have a very direct vision and require approval of photos and captions before posting. Social media influencers make most of their money by getting paid for these posts. According to USA TODAY, an industry rule of thumb is a baseline rate of about one percent of follower counts per sponsored Instagram post, or $100 for every 10,000 followers. In addition to introducing the world to a new career option, social media influencers have also introduced people to new positive and negative sides to social media.

FA L L 2019 | 21

bytes According to Buffer.com, “Facebook has found that seeing positive posts influences people to post positive updates, seeing negative posts influences people to post negative updates, and that an absence of emotion on their News Feed leads them to post less overall.” “I posted on my story and ask people to share some good news with me and I had so many people respond to that with the most amazing news,” Zacek says. “They said their grandpa was just cured of cancer or they got into their dream school. It was just all over the board of really awesome responses.” According to The Conversation, women can develop a positive body image by controlling what they see on social media, “With more awareness, social media users might be able to

curate a social media environment that promotes positive body image by unfollowing or blocking idealised accounts and following more body positive accounts.” “There is a girl on YouTube and she makes videos about being a curvy girl and that is what her whole channel is based on,” says Marisa Santillo, a freshman communications major at Kent State. “I am a curvy girl and I subscribed to her because it was interesting to see someone talking about how it is okay to be a little curvy and no one really shows that.” While social media has been able to help some people with self-image issues, it has been a cause of these issues for others. The Newport Academy, a teen rehab facility, says, “It can be detrimental to self-esteem, self-image, and well-being. In addition, constant evaluation of oneself versus others can create a judgmental, competitive outlook. Hence, one study found that people who make frequent social comparisons are more likely to experience envy, guilt, regret, and defensiveness.” “I literally always compare myself to people on Instagram,” Santillo says. “It’s such a bad habit. When I talk to people younger than me they say the same thing. They compare themselves to everyone they see on Instagram like celebrities and influencers who just seem like they’re living a perfect life.” Elite Daily, a female-focused news platform, says that “we have become so dependent on social media for our entertainment and as a doorway into others’ lives that we ignore the impact it actually has on our own lives.” “It’s difficult to feel inspired without feeling worse or negative about yourself,” Zacek says. “You often do have to put limits on yourself so you’re not spending more time on these internet people’s lives than with people in your real life.”

Kaitlyn Finchler – kfinchle@kent.edu Sarah Limas – slimas@kent.edu

Read more On stands Nov 19! theamag.com

“ 22 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

A Magazine is Kent State’s publication for all things fashion, beauty and culture on campus and beyond. For more, visit theamag.com and look out for its new issue on stands November 19.

Bl ack

or ﬂ

words by nico rushh

ITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE U.S.,

many live on the outskirts of what society deems as “normal” or “acceptable.” This is called marginalization. This happens due to a majority group defining what’s acceptable within society and forcing out those who do not fit that definition into a life that is harder than the majority. In most debates about marginalization, you often hear the opposition ask for data or research or some kind of numerical justification for the experiences of the marginalized. “How many black women die from childbirth due to racism?” “Do black people really live in structural poverty or is this the fault of their own choices?” Or, to deflect completely, “We are all equal, you’re just trying to live in the past. Slavery was so long ago.” These statements are common among the community, especially the last one, that we have to constantly argue against, but when we begin to lay out our experiences, we are stopped and asked, “But where’s the data?” This statement overall undermines the experiences of those who are marginalized because those up top believe more in numbers than they do in people and experience. I feel that this is perpetuated by capitalism’s need for data which then causes people to believe more in data and analytics compared to experience that has

? a t Da more risk and mistakes involved. Also, although data helps reduce human errors, qualitative data should be just as important as quantitative, if not more. I would also say that because of the combination of structural racism and capitalism, we see a large push for quantitative data more so than qualitative because, if qualitative was used more we would have seen much more discrepancies in the data for real life and would see how the U.S. marginalizes folks. This also highlights the differences between our two groups. So many marginalized folks believe in our experiences and the fact that if one of us is suffering, then all of us are suffering. Like the oppressors, sadly usually white and usually men. Seem to believe more in facts and data than experience. This is problematic because so much data and facts do not include us in them, especially in health-related areas. Socially speaking, because of structural racism and the overall effects of white supremacy, black folks do not have the access, numbers, or resources to be represented in data, thus creating the issue of black people not being having the proper representation they should have in data. Psychologically speaking, black people are highly under-studied compared to how many studies have been centered around white people, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Because so much data do not include us, the data usually does not describe our experiences and if they do, they are usually much lower than the actuality or paint a picture for the specific few.

This then makes many discussions around data ineffective in truly representing the black population, which then makes the overall argument also ineffective. To truly understand, we must be studied in new ways that can bypass these barriers or to stop using data as a means of justification for our experiences. Using these tactics in order to prove our marginalization is extremely problematic and puts us in a position where we have to speak to the oppressor in a way that pleases them when instead they should just accept our experiences and that even if one person is suffering, that, in and of itself, is a problem that needs to be addressed. Nico Rushh – nmostell@kent.edu

Read more On stands this spring! uhurumag.com UHURU is an award-winning magazine that aims to promote innovation, creativity, and culture through the voice of marginalized students on campus. For more information, visit uhurumag.com. Watch out for our next issue spring 2020!

FA L L 2019 | 23

bytes

FUCK STIGMA:

Let’s Talk About

Sex

Talking about sex shouldn’t be an uncomfortable discussion.

ﬂ words by tessa poulain ⁄ illustration by elliot burr

HE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND

“I think it’s important to discuss, depending on the context of the relationship, what are we going to use for protection against pregnancy or STIs, have you been tested, can we go get tested, are we going to do that regularly, how are we going to work our way away from condoms, and then also what are When talking with new partners about sexual his- we going to do in the event of a pregnancy. These tory, the conversation often sounds like, “Who all are kind of all important conversations that are have you slept with?,” but this method of initiating better if we have them before we’re in the situation conversation about sexual history is more like a than when we’re in the situation,” Wagner says. judgement than a serious question regarding interest in sexual health. It can be awkward for people to initiate this conversation and can be especially hard for people So how do we open up that conversation? whose parents consider sex a taboo or shameful topic, but the first step is getting educated. There “I think the conversation always starts a little ten- are human sexuality classes and groups on campus uous just because people are concerned that they’re students can get involved in. accusing their partner of being ‘dirty’ … but STIs are spread very similarly to how colds and flus are Planned Parenthood Gen Action KSU (PPGAKSU) spread, and we don’t carry the shame with those,” is a group that talks all things sex-related weekly Dr. Laurie Wagner says, an associate professor of and provides a safe space to openly talk about sexhealth education at Kent State. uality and sexual health. K.I.N.K. (Kent Is Now Kinky) is a club that focuses on sexual lifestyles like More often than not, a health care provider will BDSM, defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary as provide information on how to initiate that con- bondage and discipline, domination and submisversation, but it’s important to keep in mind that, sion, and sadism and masochism, that provides an “You can be with one person or 50, it doesn’t accepting space to talk about sexual lifestyles. matter,” Wagner says, who specializes in sexual health and sexuality. According to Wagner, scheduling a human sexuality class or attending a club meeting may not be the Wagner also recommends starting the conversation most comfortable activity for someone just learning regarding STIs and other sex-related topics before about sexuality and sexual health. Wagner recompeople start having sex with a new partner. mends visiting a reputable website if that is the case. Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly 20 million new STIs occur every year in the United States, half of those among young people aged 15–24.

DR . L AU R I E WAGN E R

“There’s all kinds of spaces where you can learn about the truth [about sex] versus the nonsense that you were taught growing up and figure out where your own values and boundaries are and navigate it that way,” Wagner said. But, for those willing, there are groups on campus that discuss all things sex with no shame attached. PPGAKSU was formed in the spring of 2017 and according to vice president Claire Taylor, the organization has always had a mission of empowering students through education and community.

There’s all kinds of spaces where you can learn about the truth [about sex] versus the nonsense that you were taught growing up…

The president of PPGAKSU, Mackenzie Burchett, says that “Being in safe spaces free of judgment and stigma and hearing people with similar upbringings talking about and celebrating sexuality helps to deconstruct that [negative] narrative and allow us to have those open conversations.” It can be hard for those of the LGBTQ+ community to understand and accept their sexuality and gender as well as combat things like stigma surrounding both sexuality and STIs, so Taylor also notes that PPGAKSU is, “...absolutely accepting! ...We are careful to use inclusive language and listen to the lived experiences of our diverse members… We make it clear that our room is a safe space--what is said in our room stays in our room. With that foundation of trust, more folks are willing to ask questions and share experiences.” When discussing stigma, Dr. Wagner agrees that getting educated and opening up that conversation with friends is the best way to do so. “Combating stigma in all of our health areas is really important… I always try to have an open conversation with my friends from the get-go, even talking about things that may be embarrassing in my own personal life just so they see me as vulnerable and approachable… If we are talking openly within our friendships like, ‘Hey, when’s the last time you got tested?’... You can make it a social thing… You never know what someone has been going through or what they might have coming up in their future, so any time we can make it a safer space for everybody to feel comfortable, confident and cared for, we should,” Wagner said.

These stigmas surrounding STIs can often make people believe that they’re ‘gross’ or ‘dirty,’ but Wagner notes that the feelings of shame or inadequacy are usually short-lived because there are whole communities of people who exist, especially with HPV, herpes and hepatitis. “There’s really nothing you can do besides learning how to live with it and learning how to protect your partners from it… It’s all manageable, you just have to negotiate your way through it, the same way you would any other disease or illness,” Dr. Wagner says. Using condoms and opening up these conversations about sex and STIs are both prevention methods to contracting an STI, obviously along with absintence. Health professionals, like Dr. Wagner, recommend getting STI testing every six months to a year and allowing adolescents to establish a trusting relationship with a physician sooner rather than later.

HEALTH RESOURCES Free Hiv Testing

University Health Center

Women’s Clinic

Lower level of DeWeese Health Center 330-672-8264

PPGAKSU

KSC 317, Thursdays @ 7 PM INSTAGR A M: @PPGAKSU

K.I.N.K.

Bowman 206, Wednesdays @ 7–9 PM T W ITTER: @KINKKENTSTATE

Tessa Poulain – tpoulain@kent.edu

FA L L 2019 | 25

HOW

*Adult* ARE YOU?

Check the statements that apply to you, then count them up to see how you score!

6-10 junior high graduate 11-15: moving out 16+ mega adult

■ Can fill out your W-2 without calling your mom ■ Have strong opinions on the best brand of alfredo sauce ■ Extreme couponing – ‘nuff said ■ Take vitamins everyday (Looney Tunes shape still count) ■ Have kept a houseplant alive for more than a month ■ Are in bed by 10 p.m. on a Saturday ■ Have more than two professional outfits ■ Actually understand what a 401(k) is ■ Are not scared to walk into Home Depot by yourself ■ Currently have more than $100 in your checking account ■ Wash your dishes immediately after using them ■ Have a signature at the bottom of your emails ■ Vote in local elections, not just the presidential one ■ Have a vague understanding of the NASDAQ ■ Can parallel park ■ Refuse to touch a Four Loko

26 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

answer key

1-5 fresh out of the womb

Damn, ok – you scored better than like 98% of the people who wrote this quiz. Go run for office or something.

■ Get excited about Tupperware sales

Aww, you’re so cute! Don’t try to grow up too fast, we’ll be here to hold your hand.

■ Can drink coffee black

Seems like you should be putting a down payment on a house right now or something. You’re pretty adult, in our opinion. Now go sign those papers before the market crashes.

■ Have the LinkedIn app downloaded on your phone

You know that phase where kids yell “Mom, I’m not a kid anymore!” and then storm to the bus stop? That’s you, but your teenage years are gonna rock.

■ Scheduled your last doctor’s appointment by yourself

FA L L 2019 | 27

Walkﬂ words by nicole bienvenue

⁄ title photo by tessa poulain

On story

joshua allen

Cross-Country Player, Junior

Athletes who are not recruited or do not receive a scholarship from high school to participate in college athletics, don’t let that stop them from trying out for teams and chasing their dreams.

UNIOR CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNER JOSHUA Allen says that he always knew he wanted to do athletics in college. “I think it’s every little kids dream to go D1, but I was never sure if I was good enough,” he says.

More times than not, high school athletes don’t find themselves verbally or officially committing to a university to play college athletics. There are not enough athletic scholarships to give out to students trying to play a college sport. However, some students don’t let the lack of a scholarship stop them. College walk-ons are athletes who play without a scholarship. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, in 2016 high school sports participation reached an all-time high of 7,868,900 student athletes. Even with these numbers, the NCAA says that there is still less than a 13% chance of either a male or female athlete competing in college-level sports.

athletic scholarships. In 2018, Kent State had approximately 80 walk-on athletes participating in various interscholastic sports. Universities differ in the amount of athletic scholarship funding they have available based on NCAA guidelines. There are times in a walk-on athlete’s career where they can eventually receive a scholarship, based on how well they have performed.

I think it’s every little kid’s dream to go D1, but I was never sure if I was good enough.

But most walk-ons don’t do it for the scholarship money. For those who are aware that professional sports aren’t in their future, they just want to keep the game in their life for as long as they can.

JUNIOR GUARD MARGAUX EIBEL

plays for the women’s basketball team at Kent State and recalls that her decision to play basketball in college came much later in her freshman year. She says, “I came to Kent [State] at first for fashion design, but freshman year I knew I was JO S H UA A L L E N missing something. I played sports my whole life and I didn’t know what to do, I just knew something was A walk-on’s collegiate athletic career begins with a missing. “After reaching out to the women’s bastryout. They attempt to make a team despite not ketball coach at Kent State, Eibel decided to try out being recruited or having financial benefits such as for the team.

FA L L 2019 | 29

They didn’t treat me any different and my coaches made it known that I was no different from anyone else. margaux eibel

Basketball Player, Junior

photo by isabel bringear

That year Eibel earned her spot as a walk-on and has been a member of the team for the last three years. However, she was surprised with a basketball scholarship the summer prior to her sophomore year. When looking back on her time as a walk-on, Eibel says, “I had a tough issue with accepting where I was at. I went from playing every single minute in high school to having about 20-30 minutes of playing time total my freshman year.” Of course, competing in college athletics requires a serious time commitment. Putting in the required time and effort can get tough when you know you won’t be seeing as much playing time as you would like. So, what do walk-ons do to push through these moments of self-doubt? “At the end of the day it’s all about having the mindset that I’m here for the team. As long as we’re winning, I don’t care,” Eibel says.

Kaeleigh Stang

Volleyball Player, Junior Allen agrees and says, “Personally, I know my times aren’t as good as some other runners, but I’m just happy to be a part of the team.” That doesn’t change the fact that many walk-ons do experience the same sense of self-doubt that Eibel did in her first year. Allen says, “Overcoming that doubt is important. Just because I came in as a walk-on doesn’t mean I don’t have the potential to be just as good as any other guy out there.” One has to wonder: do these walk-ons ever feel as if they’re treated any different from those players who are on an athletic scholarship? Eibel says she remembers the first time she stepped foot on the court and her team couldn’t have been more welcoming. She says, “They didn’t treat me any different and my coaches made it known that I was no different from anyone else.” Walk-on athletes may not always get the chance to participate in live competition, but the relationships and friendships that are made are well worth the time commitment and effort. Junior volleyball player Kaeleigh Stang says, “It’s completely worth it, the friendships I’ve made, not even with just volleyball players but other athletes too, make it totally worth it.”

STANG STARTED HER JOURNEY WITH VOLLEYBALL AT THE AGE of eight and realized early on she wanted to play in college. For her motivation, she thinks about all the other girls who would love the opportunity to play Division I volleyball. She says, “... I think [of] all the other girls who would give anything to be in my position and even have the opportunity to be a part of a college team.” While sport fans may be familiar with the team stars, those athletes good enough and fortunate enough to be playing the sport they love with the added benefit of not paying for their college education, we should be happy knowing that some of these student athletes are out there committing their time, their efforts and their sweat without any rewards other than playing a game they love with others who love it as well. And that’s exactly how these athletes feel. Allen says, “The best part is just being able to put on the Kent State jersey and being able to represent a D1 school, it’s a dream come true.”

Nicole Bienvenue – nbienven@kent.edu

photo by sophia adornetto FA L L 2019 | 31

bytes

ďŹ&#x201A; words by amanda levine 32 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

2 illustrations by sarah riedlinger

how social media is changing the way you find jobs Using outlets like Twitter and Facebook to find jobs isn’t new, but what about Pinterest? Twitch? Spotify?

NE OF STEFANIE MOORE’S STUDENTS UPDATED HER social media bio to make it represent who she is in the professional world and later found it helpful in the internship search process.

Kristin Williams, the executive director for career and exploration, says using social media platforms helps highlights who you are. These outlets are a way for prospective employees to showcase their creative toolsets and acts as an online portfolio.

The student was able to build connections, include links to her work and gained new followers because of her interests.

“If I’m thinking about Spotify, if I’m a music technology or music production major, my playlist or my interests or the “People use tools to do searches and find people that have sim- way that I curate that space could tell my professional story,” ilar interests. So, if you can, optimize your online presence,” Williams says. Moore, a public relations professor, says. Social media has crept into all career paths. Businesses, retail, Traditional social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook and music and information technology all check prospective Instagram have been in the workforce for a while. Journalists employees’ accounts to see how they present themselves. and people in public relations use social media to live tweet According to a CareerBuilder survey in a Business News Daily events, post their latest articles and break the news. On the article, “70% of employers use social media to screen candiother hand, sites like Pinterest and Spotify may also be helpful dates during the hiring process, and about 43% of employers in getting an internship. use social media to check on current employees.” The survey found that employers use social media as a tool to understand Pinterest is a great way to find the newest recipes, the latest their employees better. clothing trends and ways to design a dorm room. With different pins catered to people’s tastes, users can create boards for Having a professional social media account helps employers different topics. know if you are a good fit for their company and to learn more about you as an individual. Including your handles in job and With the rise of social media, employers are relying more and internship applications showcases who you are as a person more on prospective employees’ social media accounts. and if you fit into the workplace culture, Moore says. Twitter and Instagram or even Spotify and Pinterest are ways for employers to have a better understanding of who you are.

FA L L 2019 | 33

bytes “They will screen applicants based on to see if they would fit within the culture of the organization, they’re looking at skillsets, they’re looking at character,” Moore says. “So those things I think are things that shine in the online space that they can look at and evaluate you on.” These apps broadcast a variety of skill sets showcasing students design and critical thinking. The apps are also a good tool for recruitment. Moore suggests her students use blogs as a way to represent all aspects of the public relations community. Blogs are a way for students to showcase all of their work in one digital platform. Moore’s public relations students use it as a means of integrating everything they have done. It can combine their writing skills, design work and social media all in one package that employers can look it in the hiring process. The growth of social media in the application process opens up negative consequences as well. Williams says that it is important to understand that there can be bias in social media. Students should “manage risk;” they need to know the consequences. “I think any time you’re in any digital space, you have to manage risk and know that whatever you’re posting, there’s always a chance that it won’t resonate or it will hit people unfavorably,” Williams says. “So you think you’re posting something that’s really important to your field and you’re telling a story that’s important for people to hear, but that’s an opinion. So I think that’s the danger.” With the presence of social media, college students will post pictures from community events, parties downtown or their Saturday brunch. Some students have “finstas.” Fake Instagram accounts that people use for personal rants and as a digital diary. Williams said that students should still have fun, but be mindful about what they are posting. “You do want to make sure that you do have the privacy settings that you’re comfortable with. But keep in mind, it’s kind of like a secret is only a secret if you don’t share it with anybody. And that’s just the day and age that we live in,” Williams says. “So I think there’s also a piece of this though that again, managing risk. You should live your life, but maybe you don’t live every moment of your life on so publicly.” Moore suggests students apply the filter test when uploading pictures to social media. The filter test allows users to consider if someone close to them would feel embarrassed if they found a picture of themselves that is questionable and if they would consider not posting it or deleting the post entirely. The filter test may tempt social media users to delete any party picture or unprofessional post they may have. In a Business News Daily article, Saige Driver says to avoid deleting everything off of social media.

34 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

“About half of employers – 47%– said they wouldn’t call a person for an interview if they can’t find them online. More than a quarter of employers say it’s because they like to gather more information before calling a candidate, and 20% say it’s because they expect candidates to have an online presence,” Driver says in the article. The top three things Business News Daily says to avoid posting on social media are “provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information,” posts with “drinking or using drugs” and pictures or tweets of “discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc.” Though social media has negative aspects, there is a positive aspect to it as well. These apps bridge together different communities. For some, it is how they get their news, while for others, it is a way to connect with people who have similar interests. Especially in the journalism field, it allows journalists to add to the conversation. “You can build community around different topics or different hashtags or it’s just, it is a positive place. Sometimes it’s the world’s angriest place. But those are some of the positives,” Moore says. Social media also allows people to be engaged with topics such as pop culture, current events and sports. With these platforms, users can comment on these issues and have conversations with people who agree or disagree with them. Especially for journalists, it gives them a platform to showcase their work and findings. “I think it’s important because it allows us to have a voice and we can kind of showcase our personalities and we can also use it to network with others,” Moore says. “I use it and I think everybody else can use it as a classroom because we learn a lot about our target audiences, about our colleagues, about employees, about our stakeholders, our publics online. It doesn’t tell us everything. There’s a piece of the picture.”

KRISTIN W ILLIA MS

If I’m a music technology or music production major, my playlist or my interests or the way that I curate that space could tell my professional story… LinkedIn is a popular app that job seekers use to match with possible employers. With the ability to add resumes, cover letters and talk to employers, students are encouraged to use this site. Williams said the best way to manage your LinkedIn account is by making sure it is updated and represents everything you have done in your collegiate career. It is also about using common sense: Does my account reflect who I am?

The process of applying to jobs and internships is not easy, but finding out you did not get the job is difficult as well. Sometimes employers will tell employees why they were not hired and will provide them with notes on what they should do differently. This way hirees know what they can work on differently for the future. On the other hand, some employees do not find out why they were not hired. Employers will see multiple applications and will not be able to respond to every one. This can raise some concern about whether applicants are not being hired because of their resume or because of social media.

“It’s simple but impactful. And then it tells your story. So headlines are important. That summary is important and update it,” Williams says. “And what I mean by ‘update it’ is if you belong to a new organization, if you’ve taken on a new leadership role, if you’ve just completed an internship, make sure that “I think the best next steps are to tighten up the profile as best those items are up there. If you’re seeking employment, there’s that we can … We see people’s tweets come out five, six, seven, a toggle in your account where you can say, ‘I’m actively looking 10 years later, and you were probably a different person … but for work.’ That’s one of the ways that recruiters find you.” it’s still a reflection of who you were [or] are,” Williams says. “I think for me it would be owning whatever that was. And then The university uses Handshake for students to get on-campus taking some discretion and movement to act on or improve if I jobs, internships and jobs after graduation. It’s also a site that don’t feel like that’s no longer an accurate reflection of who I am.” other companies use as a means in recruiting prospective employees. Handshake allows people to upload a profile about themselves, Social media is all about finding ways to connect and network filter jobs into their email and apply to multiple positions. with different communities. Girlboss is a social media networking platform for women to help match them to other people in Handshake allows applicants to ask questions about different their career field. The site is similar to Facebook and Twitter companies so that employees can have a better understanding where you can post questions, seek advice and find job of what the organization is looking for and if they are a good opportunities. fit for the job. This site is another example of the rise of social media in the A student’s major can impact what social media platform works workforce. Having digital platforms not only promotes your best to represent themselves. For students in the business and work, but helps build connections in your career field. From finance career path, LinkedIn works best for them. But for Pinterest to Spotify to Twitter, these are all platforms that majors in creative fields such as journalism, public relations, allow people to connect online in a professional space. fashion and music, networking is also important, Williams says. Although it’s easy to get wrapped up in self-promotion, Moore Navigating what social media platform works best for your major says it is important to balance your social media as both a procan be difficult, but Williams says that LinkedIn is the “umbrella” fessional and personal account. of all the social media platforms to use. From there, it is important to identify what in the industry works best for you. “We always talk about authenticity and transparency today, and I also find it difficult to maintain one, let alone two. I encourage “I think it goes back to which social platforms. So it isn’t going people, our students to think about, potentially having one, but to be prevalent with students and healthcare to necessarily just making it more professional,” Moore says. “But yet still have a Twitch platform or students outside of the creative space not being, or not just putting out, robotic content and trying to to be curating Instagram stories professionally,” Williams be the poster child for a job, but still being yourself and still says.“It’s not about should I have one? It’s leveraging the right creating connections, but maybe cleaning it up a little bit so one … I would encourage everyone to think about that profes- that you can make it more public.” sional story that they want to convey.”

Amanda Levine – alevine3@kent.edu

FA L L 2019 | 35

The finally legalized cannabis compound could have substantial health benefits.

FTER A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH, OHIO LEGISLATION finally legalized the sale of cannabidiol, or CBD oil, and the cultivation of hemp.

According to Leafly, the world’s largest informative cannabis website, hemp is one of the oldest domesticated crops known to man. It has been used for paper, textiles, ropes and cordage. Hemp and marijuana come from the same plant but are distinguished by their uses, chemical makeup and the way they are cultivated. Legal hemp plants under the new Farm Bill must contain less than 0.3% THC. However, CBD and THC are very different. CBD is a compound, or cannabinoid, found in the cannabis plant that is not psychoactive and has significant medical benefits. THC is the psychoactive, mind-altering compound in cannabis that creates a “high.”

ﬂ words by maria mcginnis

2 illustrations by sarah riedlinger

W HAT DOES IT DO?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding CBD and THC, as many people do not know or understand the differences between the two compounds and the effects they have.

According to Nature World News, the most common methods to use CBD effectively are sublingual (under the tongue) tinctures and ingestion, though there are topical applications and inhalation methods as well.

Diamond CBD, an online CBD distributor based in Cleveland, sends out an informative pamphlet with every order called “The Ultimate CBD Pocket Guide.” CBD has been found to have a multitude of health and wellness benefits and has been used to treat conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety and insomnia. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the strongest scientific evidence of health benefits from CBD is in its “effectiveness in treating some of the cruelest childhood epilepsy syndromes, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which typically don’t respond to antiseizure medications. In numerous studies, CBD was able to reduce the number of seizures and in some cases it was able to stop them altogether.” In 2018, the FDA approved the first cannabis-derived medicine, containing CBD, for these conditions called Epidiolex.

CBD interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which is made of of two types of receptors called CB1 and CB2. These receptors are neurotransmitters involved in physiological processes like appetite, pain sensation, mood and memory, according to the Ultimate CBD Pocket Guide. These cannabinoid receptors are activated by cannabinoids whether they are generated naturally in the body or introduced by CBD. CB1 receptors in the body are predominantly found in the brain and nervous system. CB1 receptors in the brain control coordination, mood, appetite and other various functions. When introduced to the body, THC attaches to these receptors. CB2 receptors are commonly found in the immune system and affect pain and inflammation. “Researchers once believed that CBD attached to CB2 receptors, but it now appears that CBD does not attach directly to either receptor. Instead, it seems to direct the body to use more of its own cannabinoids,” according to Medical News Today.

FA L L 2019 | 37

EASE PAIN AND INFLA MMATION

Several studies have been conducted to evaluate the legitimacy of using CBD for pain relief for conditions like arthritis, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain. The European Journal of Pain found that CBD applied on the skin could help lower pain and inflammation due to arthritis. In 2019, the Arthritis Foundation published guidelines on their website about how to use CBD properly and effectively, making them the first patient advocacy group to release guidelines on using the substance. COULD LOW ER ANXIET Y AND DEPRESSION

Anxiety and depression are typically treated with pharmaceutical medications that could have negative side effects or even be potentially addictive. In a study on cannabidiol as a potential treatment for anxiety disorders published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website, researchers found that “evidence from human studies strongly supports the potential for CBD as a treatment for anxiety disorders.” CBD has also displayed effects similar to antidepressants in studies published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information with mice that showed to be similar to the effects on humans. Freshman zoology major Kaitlynn den Hoed has been using CBD oil for a year and a half. She uses it to help manage her anxiety and depression, specifically to help with racing thoughts. “One of my main problems with anxiety is I have racing thoughts and that prevents me from sleeping a lot,” she says. “I’ll be awake until 4 a.m. regularly and then me not sleeping leads to worsening depression, and CBD oil helps calm my brain down so I can think slower, so it’s not as much of an issue and I can sleep better.”

HELP MANAGE NAUSEA AND VOMITING

According to Project CBD, a nonprofit that promotes and publizes research for CBD for medical use, and their research for managing nausea with CBD. “CBD interacts with serotonin-releasing receptors and when given in relatively small doses has been shown to help alleviate both nausea and vomiting.” A PubMed study found that CBD can also be used to reduce nausea and vomiting in cancer patients due to side effects of chemotherapy. There are already medications available that are supposed to alleviate those side effects; however, they may not always work, which leads patients to seek alternatives. Although in studies CBD has been found to help reduce symptoms related to cancer and cancer treatment, a key point to make is that more research is needed in that department to fully judge its efficacy and safety.

38 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

HEART HEALTH

The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD could potentially reduce risk factors leading to heart disease, like high blood pressure. In a 2017 study conducted by JCI Insight, healthy human volunteers were subjected to exercise, cold and mental stress, and when they were given a dose of CBD, it lowered their blood pressure. Along with reducing inflammation in the cardiovascular system and managing blood pressure, CBD has also been found to strengthen artery walls and reduce vascular tension.

Both Brooks and den Hoed say they would recommend CBD oil to others to use. “I recommend it 100%,” den Hoed says. “I think people who struggle with the same problems I do or even things like physical pain should definitely take a look into it.”

W HERE DO YOU GET CBD IN OHIO?

The highest quality CBD oil is sold in licensed dispensaries throughout Ohio. However, the only way to get into those dispensaries is with a valid medical marijuana card, which requires a very long and detailed application process. However, non-medical marijuana patients can still access CBD. Marijuana Break recommends ordering online from reputable brands to ensure you are buying a safe and quality product.

EXPERIENCES

Some companies Marijuana Break recommend in their review of online retailers for Ohio residents include PureKana, Green Roads and Premium Jane.

According to a market report from Infinite CBD from a 2017 study conducted by HelloMD and the Brightfield Group, 59 percent of CBD consumers were female. Thirty-one percent were between the ages of 35 and 49, with people ages 26 to 34 and 50 to 60 making up 22%.

The CBD oil from these companies are often tested in a thirdparty lab and are found to be free of pesticides and other chemical solvents that could be harmful to users.

Despite these findings, CBD is commonly used among college students as well. Kaitlynn den Hoed had been using melatonin to help her sleep until her therapist mentioned CBD oil. “I had been using melatonin for a while, but it just stopped working as well,” she says. “I don’t know if I just got used to it or what, but [my therapist] recommended [CBD], and my mom went and bought some for me. It worked so much better than melatonin or chamomile tea or meditation, so I just stuck with it.”

CBD oil can also be purchased from local retailers like grocery stores, gas stations, vape shops and, oddly enough, Family Video. When buying CBD in any case, it is important to research the company and read customer reviews to ensure you are purchasing something safe, organic and legitimate. “I definitely think there’s a stigma around it,” den Hoed said. “But I would definitely recommend using it to (someone) if they asked.”

Maria McGinnis – mmcginn9@kent.edu

Brookie Brooks, a senior public health major, has been using CBD to help with anxiety and pain for two years. “I was never big on medication, so I use [CBD oil] because it helps kind of calm my anxiety and panic attacks that I get,” she says. “It also helps with the pain I have, because I have an injured knee. Advil helps take away a little bit of swelling and the pain, but the CBD oil really helps the inflammation that causes the pain.”

FA L L 2019 | 39

bytes

just Kent things Getting your first tattoo at Defiance <3

photo by morgan mcgrath

just Kent things

40 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

just Kent things

photo by anna lawrence

wondering what Bev is up to right now

laughing too loud during quiet hours

photo by sophia adornetto

just Kent things

FA L L 2019 | 41

bytes

feeling the breeze from Longboard Jesus

photo by morgan mcgrath

just Kent things

42 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

sharing your Funyuns with the black squirels

photo by morgan mcgrath

just Kent things

walking past the tallest building in Portage County photo by anna lawrence

just Kent things

FA L L 2019 | 43

features

fl words by

sara crawford

by katie ⁄ illustration

blazek

c P i l t a s g d o e s n ’ t b e lo n r e I n t h e w at

In the year 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish.

ITH THE WAY THE ENVIRONMENT IS BEING

treated currently, there is so much damage that is affecting the wildlife around us. In the future, ocean life will be further destroyed and land will be covered in trash. There are many different contributors to these issues, but some of the most talked about is plastic straws, plastic bags and lack of recycling. I talked to Kent Environmental Club, Ocean Motion and the sustainability manager for Kent State about what they are doing and what they think still needs to be done.

PLASTIC STR AWS

Within the past few years, plastic straws have become an everyday discussion. More restaurants are taking extra steps to decrease the use of them, such as not giving straws unless the customer asks, or not providing plastic straws, but rather paper straws, biodegradable straws or straws made out of plants. However, straws only make up 4% of all the pollution.

4 4 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

As plastic straws became more of a discussion on how to deal with them, the new trend of “save the turtles” started to reach mainstream media. The “save the turtles” trend has motivated people on social media to make the switch from using plastic straws to different types of reusable straws, such as metal straws or reusable plastic straws. While many sea turtles are on the endangered list, they are not affected more than other creatures of the oceans. Sea turtles have become the face of the push of removal of plastic straws, because, let’s face it, they are one of the cuter sea creatures. Their expressive faces and flippers are put everywhere the ocean is mentioned but when we think of these cute faces with a straw sticking out of their nose, people get upset. The image of a straw sticking out of a sea turtle’s nose is well-known, and it sticks with so many of us. Videos show scientists pulling out the straws with a pair of pliers, blood dripping down the turtles’ beaks and instead of the happy looks on their faces, they look in pain.

More and more cities are working on making laws banning plastic straws and stirrers. Many different companies, such as Starbucks, are making changes to eliminate plastic straws and making the switch to paper or biodegradable straws. People are making efforts to switch to reusable straws, paper straws, or just eliminate straws from their daily lives entirely. As more and more people follow this â&#x20AC;&#x153;save the turtlesâ&#x20AC;? trend, the plastic straws that we see in our day-to-day lives will slowly diminish. On Kentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus, Aramark, the dining services provider for Kent, has started to phase out the plastic straws at all the dining halls, putting paper straws in these locations as well.

PLASTIC BAGS

WWhile plastic straws are a big deal for our oceans as they affect ocean life in many different ways, there is so much other plastic having a huge effect on our oceans. Plastic bags are used day in and day out at stores. People can come out of stores with fistfuls of bags in their hands as they carry their groceries home. Everyone has a plastic bag in their closets storing even more plastic bags. They are everywhere. The way the bags float can look like jellyfish, which leads many different ocean life to eat these bags. In March 2019, a whale washed to shore with 88 pounds of plastic bags in its stomach. As one of their projects, the group Ocean Motion goes out to different bodies of water to clean up the surrounding land in hopes to eliminate some of the trash that goes into the water. Old TVs, traffic cones, skateboards, water bottles, plastic bags, anything you can imagine line the land along the Cuyahoga River.

FA L L 2019 | 45

features

In the UK, there has been a five-pence charge on plastic bags since 2015. This charge has eliminated the sales of plastic bags by 90% as of July 31, 2019. More locally, as of October 1, 2019, Cuyahoga County will enforce the Disposable Bag Ban, meaning that any plastic bag will no longer be able to be given out to customers in any retail establishments. The only bags that are allowed to be handed out have to meet this criteria: it must be manufactured from at least 40% recycled content and being 100% recyclable. With these laws, people are no longer going to be able to be getting these plastic bags, which means consumers will need to take the extra step of bringing reusable bags or buying paper bags. There are already many different grocery stores that do not give out plastic bags or reward you for bringing in reusable bags, but this is an extra step that Cuyahoga County is taking to eliminate some of the plastic that is going out into our environment. On campus, there is a possibility that the plastic bags in the dining halls will be phased out, as every dining hall currently has these plastic bags for students to take. Margot Paolucci, a sophomore studying environmental conservation biology and the president of Ocean Motion, talked about how it was crazy to see all of the trash just laying around. A section of the land was covered in so many water bottles, you couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see it - it took them 45 minutes just to clean up all the water bottles there. In the end, they collected 396 pounds of garbage in just a 100yard amount of land. Emily Cremeans, a junior studying environmental studies and the vice president of Ocean Motion, explained the rush of excitement but also horror when going to clean up a part of Lake Erie. Seeing all of the trash that accumulated along the beach was shocking, and she could not imagine what it must be like in a larger body of water.

RECYCLING

While many cities, counties, countries and companies are making changes to be more environmentally friendly, whether that is elimination or laws against different environmental issues, one of the biggest steps that need to be taken is on a personal level - recycling. When Alexis Richeson, now a freshman studying French and one of the social media contributors for the Environmental Club, was in elementary school, there were no recycling bins in her lunchroom.

MEL A NIE KNOW LES

Sustainability is a journey. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on this journey, we have made great strides, we have more opportunities to improve and we are continuously working on thatâ&#x20AC;Ś

46 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

No matter the item, it was all tossed into the same trash bins. Crusts on sandwiches? Tossed. Empty milk cartons? Tossed. Banana peels? Tossed. Plastic bottles? Tossed. Growing up in an environmentally friendly family, Richeson knew that many of the items that were being thrown away could be recycled. She took it upon herself to collect all of the milk cartons and anything else she thought was recyclable from her friends to take home, so they could be properly recycled. Richeson is one of the many kids who saw this issue of lack of recycling bins and making something of it. Now, you can walk into any school, and you are bound to see at least one recycling bin sitting there. On Kent’s campus, more and more people are taking the necessary steps towards recycling. According to the diversion rate, which is the percentage of recyclable items that are recycled as opposed to going into the landfills, the Kent campus is currently at 36%, as opposed to in 2012 when it was 18%. Kent State sustainability does mini-waste audits with a geology class that look at what is in dumpsters around campus and what can be done to reduce our waste. Some of the biggest recycled items that are found in these dumpsters are plastic bottles and paper - which are some of the most well-known products that are recyclable. Kent State is making an effort to figure out what can help encourage more students to recycle and are working on making sure all trash cans are paired with a recycling bin.

SUSTAINABILIT Y

Sustainability focuses on the people, the planet and the profit of it. Would it be better for the people? Would it be better for the planet? Is it financially possible? “Sustainability is a journey. We’re on this journey, we have made great strides, we have more opportunities to improve and we are continuously working on that,” says Melanie Knowles, the sustainability manager for Kent State.

Knowles works on multiple different projects to make Kent State more sustainable, whether that is through more environmentally friendly buildings, water filling stations, more bikes on campus or coming up with ways to compost in the dining halls. The steps she takes are to make sure we are keeping up with being as sustainable as we possibly can be. The importance of becoming more focused on being environmentally friendly is to help change the market. As more people start to turn away from something because it is not good for the environment, more companies are going to start to change their ways. Take plastic straws for example: there were the people that started to not use plastic straws, then their friends and family started to not use them, and it became a domino effect. As the awareness of the negative effects of plastic straws arose, more people started to turn away from them, and companies shifted their market to tailor towards them. “The market steps in to say, ‘We need to create another product to serve this purpose and be affordable,” Knowles says. Once a cause has those early adopters who are willing to pay the higher price for these products, the market will start to grow and more affordable options will start to pop up. There are countless ways to start to make a positive impact on the environment. Whether that is through recycling, reusable straws, reusable bags, joining a club and helping clean up the land around us, it is still a change. No matter what, there is a way you can be more sustainable in your daily life, Knowles says. “Once you learn about it, it’s hard to go back to the old practices that are causing an impact on the ocean and the entire Earth,” Paolucci says. “It’s a part of changing your habits and sticking to it.”

Sara Crawford – scrawf23@kent.edu

FA L L 2019 | 47

Kent women encourage college students to vote.

ďŹ&#x201A;words by sabrina scott

â &#x201E; photos by anna lawrence

In 2019, women made history twice. Women broke the record of comprising 23.7% of the United States 116th Congress, and as of September 2019, five women are running for the 2020 presidential elections.

Kaelee Dingey undergraduate student government representative

Taking a leap of faith from encouragement from other Undergraduate Student Government (USG) members, she became one of the youngest members to join USG. She feels there is a brighter future ahead because of more women being involved in politics.

QUALITY HAS BEEN A PERSISTENT

journey for women since they received the right to vote in 1920. American women are constantly making efforts to break down the stigma of female electability and to make their presence more prominent in American politics. Female political involvement is catching the nation’s attention of the increasing number due to American women stepping up in government roles, especially college women and local women government leaders. Kaelee Dingey, a sophomore political science student, is one of the youngest members Kent State’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) has ever had. She says she felt encouraged by the USG members to run during her freshman year, therefore she took a leap of faith. She has been noticing the increasing involvement of women working in politics and sees a brighter future because of it.

“It’s limitless,” Dingey says. “We still have a lot of bias and stigma held against us as if we aren’t capable. It’s not everyone, but there are some who think men would lead better because of their strong presence. I think the type of perspective women bring is they know what oppression and stigma feels like.” Dingey says one of her main goals is to lead by example for both college-aged women and younger college students. College of Education, Health and Human Services (EHHS) Senator Steven Farhat came up with an innovative idea of a female empowerment committee; however, he needed a

FA L L 2019 | 49

Ashley Caldwell vice president of the college republicans Wanting to be more open, Caldwell doesn’t like the hostility between parties. Caldwell says she thinks both sides need to come together about what needs to be accomplished and to improve the discourse.

strong woman to do it. Director of Governmental Dingey is assisting Moore and USG to launch Affairs, Tiera Moore and Farhat both thought of “Kent State Votes” along with other groups to Dingey due to her confidence in joining USG at ensure that every college student is registered a young age and her diligent agenda surround- to vote regardless of their political views. “We ing the well-being of college women. Their goal are really pushing non-partisan for a great is to improve female students’ college experi- voter turnout. We want this campus to be eduence, in general, at Kent State while enlighten- cated and voting,” Dingey says. “It’s our right ing people on women’s issues. and our power.” She is passionate about pushing initiatives with USG for increasing the number of voters, regardless of political party differences. Dingey is also assisting the Women’s Center with their “Elect Her” day-long training program for Kent State female students who have a desire to run for student government and showing them the ropes to ensure success. “You need every perspective to represent this country,” Dingey says. “Women bring a unique perspective, but we still have a lot of biases that we aren’t capable, men would lead better because of their strong presence. I don’t know how you can talk about government without being even, women and men.”

50 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

Despite the political tensions between the Republican and Democratic parties, Vice President of the College Democrats Laura Keller and Vice President of the College Republicans Ashley Caldwell are collaborating to achieve the common goal of millenials’ voices being heard through voter registration,

as they are both properly informed and women in politics. Keller’s main objective is to bring in speakers who engage not only politically active students but also those who are less active. To target the less politically active student is to engage them in issues that affect them whether they realize it or not. “A lot of students are engaged in issues that are publicized in the media, hot topics, but there are a lot of issues out here that affect students’ daily lives that they’re not very engaged with,” Keller says. “So we are trying to get more people aware of what’s happening around them in the

R IC H A R D ROB Y N

If women aren’t participating and are not successful, then they are cut out from power in society.

legislation that’s going on and get them more involved that way.” Keller and the College Democrats are working towards increasing female involvement in college politics to get women in spaces, Planned Parenthood for example, where they can make a difference in their own lives and in other womens’ lives where these policies are affecting them. “Essentially, bringing that perspective of what it’s like to be somebody on the side of oppression and the side that has your government’s laws working against you, that’s really important to bring that type of involvement into our government,” Keller says. Caldwell explains how she doesn’t like the hostility between the two parties and wants to be

more open. When it comes to voting, she learns from each candidate first, then decides. “Both sides of my family are Democrats, but I am Republican, but we get along great,” Caldwell says. “I want people to hear each other’s sides because they have good reasons”.

fore they need to take their opinion and listen. “I think women that go into politics are very strong,” says Caldwell. “I appreciate them because it takes a lot of work to get into that position. It’s harder to stay there because you have to have everyone’s approval.”

When it comes to politics, having more women in politics is important to her. “We think differently from men,” Caldwell says. “Our opinions matter. I think it is important to have women in there to express what we need as women because right now we have a lot of men in there.”

Popped! owner Gwen Rosenberg began her councilwoman-at-large position two years ago because she believed she could provide a valuable perspective for the city of Kent as a parent and a business-owner.

She says that women from both parties need to come together about what needs to be accomplished and to improve the discourse. Caldwell believes male politicians can take a woman’s opinion and voice for granted sometimes there-

“I just thought I had a perspective that had something of value,” Rosenberg says. “Having young kids attend the school district, having that business owner’s perspective, if not me, then who? We can’t sit back and wait for somebody else and say what they ought to do.”

Laura Keller vice president of the college democrats Keller’s goal is to bring speakers to engage students with other issues out there that affect their daily lives. With the College Democrats, she is working on increasing female involvement in politics as well.

FA L L 2019 | 51

Rosenberg did not come in with a definitive agenda, since Kent is fortunate enough to be functioning efficiently so that drastic change is unnecessary. However, she saw this as an opportunity to have the city of Kent focus on a bigger solution: climate change. She mentioned how council members have expressed interest in being more proactive about what they could do as a city to combat climate change here in Kent. She’s interested in making the city more bike-and walker-friendly. “It kind of fits into a larger puzzle of climate change and being more ecologically aware of where our food is coming from,” says Rosenberg.

Rosenberg says women running for political office is no longer special and unique. She says it’s up to the next cohort of women to put the negative discourse about appearances to rest and instead weigh their merits of their capability to run through their perspective and their professionalism. Rosenberg added how it has not been that long ago since women gained the right to vote and have a voice in political opinion. She says there are still misogynistic ideologies out there and women are still working to break glass ceilings.

She takes notice of women who are highly involved in the community and goes out of her way to reach out to them if they want to be involved in local politics. Rosenberg did say she understands that running for office isn’t for everyone because being on public display is a very vulnerable place, not only for the women but also their families.

Rosenberg is optimistic that more women will run for office in the future at all political levels. She emphasizes how influential local politics are, though people tend to unintentionally forget about them. She says local arenas are where policies emerge that wind their way to our nation’s capital. “They see enough of communities making proactive decisions towards what they value,” Rosenberg says.

“There’s a point in time when you need to stick your neck and say ‘Alright, I’m going to do this and participate in this democracy,” Rosenberg says. ”Otherwise it is not a democracy.”

Rosenberg made a note as to how Republicans and Democrats work together all the time and share commonalities. She says what we see on the media, the screaming rhetoric between the

political parties, is not reality and that we cannot allow that to dictate our understanding of how politics operates. She says local politics can teach us that it is human nature to have disagreements or that we cannot function very well as a society without opposing views. Rosenberg says she does not want people to gain a learned helplessness and how that would be the worst possible thing for our democracy. She says it’s not true that all politicians are cheats and liars. “If you believe that’s true, then you should find someone you believe is an honest person of integrity to run. We can’t throw our hands up and say ‘it’s too far gone, you can’t fix it.’ That’s defeatist attitude and we need to fight that. Get out there and participate.” Richard Robyn is a professor at Kent State University who primarily teaches American politics and is the director for the Washington, D.C. program. He says Americans are definitely ready for a woman president. “Oh yes! Definitely so,” says Robyn. “Hillary Clinton did break many glass ceilings for women.”

Gwen Rosenberg councilwoman at large Rosenberg aspires to share her voice instead of waiting for someone else to do it for women. By reaching out to highly involved women in the Kent community to get involved in politics, she is optimistic more women will run for office in the future at all political levels.

52 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

G W E N RO S E N B E RG

That’s defeatist attitude and we need to fight that. Get out there and participate. Hillary Clinton was the first woman who won a state “If women are not in power, then they cannot affect primary as well as being the first woman nominee the decisions made on that particular issue,” Robyn U.S. President of a major political party. Despite says. “If women aren’t participating and are not sucPresident Donald Trump winning the 2016 election, cessful, then they are cut out from power in society. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote with 65 million Politics is about the allocation of power in society.” votes, which conveys that Americans are more accepting of a woman president than not. Robyn suggests questions and ideas on what to look for if we are choosing a woman presidential candiRobyn mentions how women politicians tend to lean date to minimize biased perspectives. He says just more towards healthcare and climate issues than because it’s a woman candidate does not mean she is men. “If women are more in charge, then it might be supportive of all the issues you think are important. less emphasis on wars, economic issues, and instead Robyn says even the term “women’s issues” can be on more issues on childcare and healthcare,” Robyn harder to define because of how vague of a term it is. says. “It has centered on the idea that men are are Everyone has a different perspective of what wompretty opposed to the Affordable Care Act compared en’s issues entails. He says the woman candidate may to women. For that reason, if more women are in be supportive of women’s issues, but not climate Congress, then we could be defending that and change. However, their opponent has a climate expanding on healthcare. That could tend to be more change platform. It is important to filter out what of a women’s issue.” you are looking for and policy is a complicated thing because we live in a complicated, modern society. Political science studies have shown government programs have tended to favor men more than We are on the verge of not only a new decade, but females. For example, the National Institute of potentially a new era, as American women are chalHealth (NIH) has predominantly focused on male lenging the Trump administration to have more meahealth issues and mostly used male subjects. Robyn sures to be taken for the greater good of the American said this caught congresswomen’s attention and they people. Although misogynistic ideologies may be criticized the NIH for poorly representing both gen- present in American discourse, it will not hinder the ders on health issues. unvanquished momentum of these women. They are not finished with shattering the stigmas, stereotypes “Healthcare for all seems like a concern, the ones that and oppression. They are only getting the ball rolling. are worse off tend to be women,” Robyn says. “Single American voices are needed more than ever in the women with children have a lowest rung on our eco- 2020 election. It is time to get out there to participate nomic level. Our lowest economic-level society, the and speak volumes to the masses that women’s voices poor, are single women with children. Statistically, are necessary to the political conversation. America that is really striking in our society that the most is ready to have a strong woman lead its nation and number of people on welfare are single women with persist through the future of what is yet to come. children. ” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 45.6 percent of welfare benficients are single families, Sabrina Scott – sscott61@kent.edu while 50 percent are single mother households.

FA L L 2019 | 53

features

words & photos by sophia adornetto

ODY POSITIVITY IS SO MUCH

more than a social movement about different body shapes and sizes. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a journey to become comfortable and confident in your own skin. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about finding peace in how you perceive the world and using that to guide you to change the world around you. Positive body image is giving yourself the grace

54 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

to be human and speaking kind truths to yourself. Most of us will always struggle with physical and mental insecurities, and the mirror will always be there to remind us of them. But your insecurities are what make you stand out in the crowd of sameness and make you who you are. You are much more than a body, you are a person who deserves to be loved by yourself.

M A DE L E I N E

I realized that I was so tired of constantly berating myself and feeling like shit for no reason when I, as any other person, deserve love and deserve happiness. Personally, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think I would be where I am today without the support of therapy and a lot of intensive journaling.

M A K AY L A

I lost 200 pounds in 10 months, but my body is sagging so much.

My thighs sag, I have wings, I could probably fly to South America.

But I had to learn to love them... This is what I came from.

FA L L 2019 | 57

features

58 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

E R I KO

After I got my service dog, Dolce, a lot of things have changed in my life.

She’s my sidekick, she lets me know things that I’m not aware of for my own body and helps me with self-harm interruption.

I take her with me everywhere now and she’s given me the confidence I needed to get back into society and start getting better.

TheThe “A” W “A” Word loose w cheap m Abortion is a divisive topic. With women’s healthcare and abortion being in the mainstream media, organizations like Planned Parenthood have come under even more scrutiny due to their abortion access.

ﬂ words by faith ifft

60 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

Word fo A women & morals in S THE KENTTALKS MEETING CAME

to a close, the crowd dispersed. Pro-choice and pro-life, which had mingled together in the audience, now made their way to their respective people. The divide was now blatant. I realized that I had no place to go. I was there as a writer doing research, and I had not participated in any of the discussions and activities, and yet now, I felt that I was forced to make a choice.

The “‘A’ Word,” as KENTtalks calls it, has split the nation. It is not just another argument for conservatives and liberals to debate on television. The topic of abortion is personal and devisive. The views of each side make it so polarizing as extremists on each demonize the other. If you are pro-choice, you believe a woman has a right to her body. If you have any other opinion, it appears as though you do not believe a woman should have this agency. If you are pro-life, it is assumed that you believe that all abortion is murder and that the women making these decisions are, by default, selfish murderers. This point was emphasized during “The ‘A’ Word: Coming to the Table on Abortion” was a KENTtalks discussion run by the Division of Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. On September 12, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Kent State and Kent State Students for Life came together to discuss the potent issue of abortion and their stances on the topic. The first activity the audience participated in was a survey that had five statements. Each statement had four options for the survey-taker to choose from: strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. There was no neutral or undecided option. The participant was forced to choose a side. The papers were then crumpled up and thrown across the room. Each person picked up a paper and “represented” the person who had filled it out. The participants were asked to walk around the room to different points that represented the answers.\

PERSPECTIVE 1:

People have a moral right to decide what to do with their bodies.

The average response: strongly agree. For the most part, people from both sides agreed that each person has a right to their body and should thus be able to make decisions about their body.

PERSPECTIVE 2:

The right to abortion is vital for gender equality.

There was no neutral or undecided option. The participant was forced to choose a side.

The response: There were few middle-of-the-road answers here. It was either strongly agree or strongly disagree, and it was split relatively evenly.

PERSPECTIVE 3:

Banning abortion puts people at risk by forcing them to use unsafe abortion methods.

The response: From observation, approximately 25% of the participants strongly disagreed with this statement. The rest were in affirmation of it.

PERSPECTIVE 4:

Adoption is a viable alternative.

The response: The replies were not as distinct as those to the previous statement. There were mostly agrees and disagrees, not many taking a strong stance on the matter.

PERSPECTIVE 5:

Since life begins at conception, abortion is killing a human being. Stage of development does not define parenthood.

The response: Once again, the room was split between strongly agree and strongly disagree.

FA L L 2019 | 61

Child mu is what screame I noticed throughout that many of the reactions were strongly agrees or strongly disagrees. Many of these viewpoints induced a powerful response in those that took the survey. There was no neutral option, so the survey-taker was forced to pick a side. Those who represented the answers on the paper they picked up did not always agree with what the person had chosen. Some expressed their discomfort with standing for something that they did not agree with. Many of the participants wished to remain anonymous, but one remarked on how people do not like to make tough decisions like these; they do not like to choose between the two sides.

According to an NPR article published in April 2019, recent legislation has forced many to make up their minds on this issue. The “heartbeat bill” was passed in Ohio legislature in early 2019. Officially known as the “Human Rights Protection Act,” this outlaws abortion as early as five weeks into a pregnancy. At this time during the pregnancy, most women do not even realize they are pregnant. The Cincinnati Enquirer states that it was not until later this year that a federal judge declared the “heartbeat bill” unconstitutional and prevented it from going into law. The New York Times states that seven states have already taken action to ban abortion at the first sign of a fetal heartbeat. Alabama has the most restrictive, banning abortion in all cases including rape and incest. Other states that have instituted tight restrictions include Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippip, and Ohio. These states announced these laws in quick succes-

62 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

sion of each other, causing an uproar. While these laws are not yet in effect, and some have been halted in proceeding due to judges, these bans still challenge the Roe v. Wade case. Roe v. Wade was a Supreme Court case in 1973 that ruled that legal abortion was a constitutional right. According to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, 73% of Americans do not want to see this court case overturned. With these threats to a

offer. Burchett herself uses Planned Parenthood for all of her reproductive health needs. They give their clients, who are often scared young women, options on how they can proceed in their lives. While some media would state that Planned Parenthood encourages abortions, they simply offer this course of action if that is what the client decides they want. Burchett asserts that Planned Parenthood does not push one option

A taxpayer who disagrees with certain actions of the organization shouldn’t have to pay into that system…

RIVER K ALE

constitutional right, abortion remains an important topic. Due to the controversies about abortion itself, abortion providers, namely Planned Parenthood, have been placed under intense scrutiny.

Planned Parenthood is one of the main provides to women, especially disadvantaged women who cannot afford sexual healthcare elsewhere. As a center for both male and female identifying people, Planned Parenthood offers discounted and free services such as STD/STI testing, family planning, emergency contraceptives, pregnancy services, cancer screenings and abortion. In the words of Kenzi Burchett, a senior political science major and the president of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Kent State, Planned Parenthood provides “abortion on demand without apology.” Burchett believes it is important for the public to be aware of and understand all of the services Planned Parenthood has to

over another, but instead is “pro-any reproductive choice that they [the clients] choose.” This stance is crucial, especially in impoverished communities where people do not have access to healthcare. They are not pressured to make any certain decision due to their current circumstances.

Lailah Berry, a senior educational studies major, told me about her experience using Planned Parenthood’s services. She had the following to say on the experience: “I personally support Planned Parenthood because their services offered me a second chance. When I was 19, I had an unexpected pregnancy and received an abortion through them. They were helpful, informative and I successfully terminated the pregnancy via pill without surgery. I’ve been a patient of theirs for birth control, STD/STI/HIV testing and free contraceptives since 2015. And in 2017 they gave me a second chance

urderer they ed at me at life. Now I am 22, about to graduate from college in the spring with job offers. Thanks to them I have a healthy, stable and successful life.”

Berry’s experience with Planned Parenthood was positive, and it gave her a second chance to live her life the way she wanted to. After reading a positive testimony, when asked what she thought the main issue that people had with Planned Parenthood, Burchett’s response was instant: “the abortion providers.” At the KENTtalks discussion, people from all different backgrounds gathered together in one space to speak on a divisive topic. One thing I took away from the meeting was that everyone in the room agreed on one thing: Women deserved and needed access to healthcare. Women are not any less due to the choices they make in their personal lives; the biggest dividing line was the topic of abortion itself. I spoke with some who were strongly against Planned Parenthood but didn’t want to be on the record.

After speaking to people who were mostly strongly for or against Planned Parenthood, I reached out to some more neutral people. River Kale [friend of author], senior political science major, says that, while he personally does not have a problem with Planned Parenthood, he understands why people would have an issue. He states, “I’m all about the services that Planned Parenthood offers, but I don’t think it should be funded by the federal or state government. It should be privatized.” Kale believes that this

kind of change would solve many of the problems people have with the organization as a whole. “A taxpayer who disagrees with certain actions of the organization shouldn’t have to pay into that system . . . I feel like the services are good but shouldn’t have to be paid for out of the pockets of people who disagree with abortion.” The issue Kale addressed is topical in the current political state. The Trump administration has defunded Planned Parenthood and other women’s health centers that offer abortions. This conservative shift in healthcare funding is important, especially with the upcoming election. Under Title X, the only way Planned Parenthood and other family planning and women’s health centers would be able to receive funding is if they ceased doing abortions of the premises and did so elsewhere without funding for that facility. As previously mentioned, the state of Ohio has also attempted to ban abortion. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) partnered with Planned Parenthood to sue Ohio, which culminated with a federal judge deeming the law unconstitutional. ACLU and Planned Parenthood continue to fight against laws that inhibit abortion access. If the bill had been made into law, 90% of abortions that occur in Ohio would have been banned.

thought about Planned Parenthood, he says the following: “I think Planned Parenthood is an amazing thing. I think people like to vilify the organization because that’s easier to do than actually confronting the real issues that are facing women in America. I’ve never seen or heard of Planned Parenthood doing anything but truly trying to support women in their struggles, and I think it’s sad that we spend less time talking to them as an organization and more time spent dissecting them for the part they play in ‘social justice.’” Daniel’s comments struck me and caused me to think about many things, one of them being why society chooses to focus in on the negative aspects instead of the positive. Kenzi Burchett says that one of the main things she wished people would understand about Planned Parenthood is less about the organization and more about its clients. She said, “people who undergo abortions should be treated with compassion. They are valid.”

Faith Ifft – fifft@kent.edu

This issue is such a hot topic at the moment, and the people making many of these legal decisions that govern female bodies are male. Going forward, I find myself thinking about a discussion I had with Harrison Daniel, a Kent State art education major. When I asked him about what he

FA L L 2019 | 63

esports The rise of competitive gaming in Kent ﬂ words by brandon lewis ⁄ photos by isabel brinegar

œ Tyler Hallman, varsity Rocket League player, practices for a scrimmage against University of Texas Arlington on Oct. 9, 2019. Hallman has been playing Rocket League for almost 4 years.

ON FETSKO SPRINTS DOWN THE BASEMENT

stairs of the Student Center at 6:30 p.m. on a warm September night with seven other students following him. The 6-foot tall man with a black scruffy beard whips out a key to classroom number 019 out of his shorts. Fetsko leads his team into the classroom, where he is about to begin his first practice as the Kent State Esports League of Legends coach.

Fetsko’s weekday mornings start off with him going to class, but, unlike your typical college student, his day has only just begun once class lets out. He spends the rest of his 21-hour day coaching and watching Videos on Demand (VODS) online via Twitch to see how the rest of the world is playing “League of Legends.”

“Each region because of their culture plays the game differently and understands the game differently,” Fetsko says. “I watch all of the regions, because a region Fetsko is exhausted, running on only three hours of like Vietnam, for example, could come up with this sleep. He is used to it, because he lives the life of a col- crazy strategy, and it could work, so then everybody else lege student who is also an Esports gamer. who is playing the game has to adjust accordingly.”

64 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

It is a life that not too many people can say they can live One of Fetsko’s players, John Bregman, has only been on daily, but the 25-year-old Kent State student is used to it, the team for two weeks, but he has already seen mass considering that he has been an Esports gamer for over improvement in his game from working with Fetsko. six years. His journey as an Esports player started out of pure frustration at other people’s play shortly after he “He’s a great teacher,” Bregman says. “He doesn’t hold no dropped out of medical school at Cleveland State punches. He’ll tell you how good you are, and he’ll tell you University. Fetsko recalls the day he realized he could be if you suck, and what you need to do to get better. He hasn’t an Esports gamer perfectly. starred me wrong yet.” He was sitting in his black swivel chair in his living room, and he had just won his fifth game of “League of Legends” in a row in dominating style. Instead of giving himself praise for the victory, Fetsko thought that maybe the players he was playing were just bad and that he could get a lot better. “I said to myself, ‘If they don’t know what they are doing, then I probably don’t know what I’m doing, so let’s go figure out what to do.’” Fetsko says. After five years of playing competitively on his own while working as a Dairy Queen cashier in Medina to make ends meet, Fetsko found out that Kent State has a “League of Legends” team. When a coaching position opened up for the teams going into the 2019-2020 school year, Fetsko jumped at the opportunity.

Geneva VanHorn, a digital media production major, was part of one of the first two “League of Legends” teams. Those original teams played in “League of Legends” tournaments hosted by the creator of the game, Riot Games, and in tournaments against the University of Akron, whose team is eighth in America when it comes to Esports tournaments. Her team ended up placing third against them, which caught the eye of the university. “We had to show the higher ups how serious we were about this and prove to them that this stigma that Esports was just a bunch of losers sitting in a basement playing video games all day simply wasn’t true,” VanHorn says. Once Kent State approved Esports as an actual organization on campus, VanHorn says the growth of the “League of Legends” staff shocked her and her team at the time.

As Fetsko’s team gets settled into their light brown office chairs and the players load up the seven Dell computers “We literally grew overnight,” VanHorn says. “Once we that sit side by side in the lab, they chat about their day like became an organization and got the word out, we went any group of friends. Fetsko shuts the door as the voices from 30 people in the club to 174 in 24 hours, and we still start to fill the room. You can barely hear everyone talk, gain 20-25 people in the ‘League of Legends’ club every day.” because it is so loud. With all the people now in the “League of Legends” Esports At 7 p.m., the loud voices turn silent. Fetsko is the only one club, VanHorn said it can be challenging on both a business speaking as he settles into his coaching role, telling his and personal side. players to load up into a “League of Legends” game. He asks his players what the one thing they make sure they do “It’s great to see it grow so much, but also it’s frustrating tonight. They respond, “Enjoy the moment,” and Fetsko because we are always fighting to keep our spot on the enters his comfort zone: coaching. team because only so many people can play at once,” VanHorn says. “At the same time, I am a believer that com“I always liked being coached growing up, and I believe that petition makes people better, so I think whoever makes it there are many people right now that are in the shoes that on the team stands out, but we do have to turn away talI was wearing back in 2013 when I started being an Esports ented players occasionally just because of roster space.” gamer, so I figured it was a perfect match.” Esports has become a big part of culture worldwide over One of Fetsko’s coaching strategies include kicking a per- the last half-decade. According to a study conducted by son’s chair to let them know he is talking to them. Fetsko Syracuse University with slideshare.net, Esports is estidoes this, because the players are wearing Bose head- mated to have a whopping 84 million viewers online by phones, which are some of the best headphones you can use 2020, beating out every major sport besides the NFL. The to cancel out noise. Fetsko then raises his voice when he same study shows that Esports’ global fan growth more needs to tell his players something important, that way the than doubled from 2016-2018. players know the difference of when Fetsko is just telling them something he thinks they should know or if it is some- The study estimates that by 2020, Esports will have 250 thing they absolutely should do. million people watching around the world online via Twitch, 11 billion total hours of Esports watched globally,

L FA L L 2019 | 65

JO N F E T S KO

Each region because of their culture plays the game differently. and understands the game differently… including three billion in the U.S., and more than 70 million people will watch an Esports championship rather than an NBA Finals, a World Series or a Stanley Cup Final. VanHorn said the difference between being an Esports gamer and a casual video gamer is all about the time commitment. “With casual gamers, people only practice it once in a while,” VanHorn says. “People can play ‘League’ causally for five hours a day, playing five or six games, but they are not fine-tuning those skills, whereas when we play five hours a day, we actually usually play only one game, and then we dissect every square inch of that one game. We figure out what went wrong, how to fix it.” “We’ll go through and do resets to the point where we have a 93% consistency rate with doing something. The saying in ‘League’ is, ‘If you didn’t do it right, it’s a waste of time,’ and the one thing we can’t do is waste time, so we sit, we analyze what went wrong and that’s why our next game usually is exponentially better than the last.”

VanHorn feels disrespected when she hears people say Esports is not a sport. “I think it’s funny when people say it’s not a sport, because I think that they think it’s just a bunch of people sitting in a circle eating Cheetos playing Candy Crush on their phone,” VanHorn says. “They don’t realize what goes into it.” Fetsko says that while people do not realize how much time goes into Esports, he does not like the Esports term. “I think of a sport as an athletic activity,” Fetsko says. “With Esports, we’re not running around catching a football. We’re not physically active. Our brain is mentally active yes, but just being mentally active does not make something a sport, so I do think the name is bad because it’s a misconception.” Zachary Blanner, an Esports student employee at Kent State, said that while Esports is not a physical sport, the university is looking into hiring nutritionists, physical therapists and trainers to help the players stay in shape. “When you sit for such a long period of time, you probably aren’t eating very much or moving around,” Blanner says. “It’s important for the players to eat properly so that they have the energy to focus on the game, but it’s also important that they stretch out their neck and hand muscles to avoid cramping and stiffness.” It is 11:00 p.m. Fetsko’s team just finished their second “League of Legends” game of the night. Fetsko tells the team to call it a night. Fetsko is the last one to leave the lab. He gathers up his things, turns the lights off and shuts the door. He is about to go back to his apartment to watch VODs of international players until his 6 a.m. bedtime before his 9 a.m. class. Fetsko is not fazed. He turns to me, thanks me for stopping by and says, “Back at it tomorrow,” while heading towards the stairway.

Brandon Lewis – blewis47@kent.edu

66 | T H E B U R R M AG A Z I N E

Nick Condo, varsity League of Legends player, waits for the scrimmage to begin. Condo has been playing since the first season of League of Legends; there are currently 10 seasons.

THE

Last Shot words & photo by kamryn rowe

OCIAL MEDIA HAS BEEN AROUND

since the late ‘90s. It’s a relatively new wave that grows bigger with every post, every like, and every comment. The birth of MySpace and Facebook gave way to the development of Twitter and Instagram, which then began the innovation of Snapchat, and so on. Each is like the other, allowing us to easily put our masks of happiness and facades of contentedness online for all to see. As human beings of the 21st century, we have not invented inauthenticity; we’ve only modernized it. We post our stories and we update our statuses with our day-to-day highlight reel, and then wonder at our emptiness in this vacuum of fabricated reality. Maybe someday we will be genuine with each other... or maybe we just never will.